Aggies officially tell Big 12 ‘adios’

COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M is down to a final step in its methodical march to the Southeastern Conference. The Aggies on Wednesday gave the Big 12 official notification that they’re withdrawing from the 10-member league.

The SEC is expected to announce A&M’s entry as its 13th member in the coming days, putting the wraps on a whirlwind month in Aggieland. A&M will end a 16-year run in the Big 12 next summer, and intends to play football, volleyball and soccer in the SEC starting in the summer of 2012.

“Certainly if that comes to fruition, if Texas A&M joins the SEC, we will welcome them,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said. “I’m sure they will be in the Western Division, so we won’t play them but every three or four years, but they’re a big-time institution and an excellent athletic department. All their sports are very good. I believe their girls’ basketball team won the national championship.

“They would be a huge addition to the SEC. It would help us get into Texas and increase the SEC TV market and all that kind of stuff.”

The eighth-ranked Aggies open their season at 6:30 p.m. Sunday night at Kyle Field against old Southwest Conference foe SMU. Many A&M former students and students are expected to wear bowties to the game in honor of bowtie-sporting school president R. Bowen Loftin, the catalyst behind the Aggies’ bolt of the Big 12 and soon-to-be entrance into the SEC.

A&M spokesman Jason Cook said Wednesday morning following the announcement that the school will now simply focus on Sunday’s football game. In other words, don’t expect an announcement about the SEC until early next week.

Here is part of this morning’s news release from A&M:

Texas A&M University today officially notified the Big 12 Conference that the institution will submit an application to join another athletic conference. Should this application be accepted, Texas A&M will end its membership in the Big 12 Conference effective June 30, 2012.

“After much thought and consideration, and pursuant to the action of the (Texas A&M University System) Board of Regents authorizing me to take action related to Texas A&M University’s athletic conference alignment, I have determined it is in the best interest of Texas A&M to make application to join another athletic conference,” President R. Bowen Loftin wrote to Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe in the letter dated August 31, 2011.

“We appreciate the Big 12’s willingness to engage in a dialogue to end our relationship through a mutually agreeable settlement,” Loftin added. “We, too, desire that this process be as amicable and prompt as possible and result in a resolution of all outstanding issues, including mutual waivers by Texas A&M and the conference on behalf of all the remaining members.”